International Portfolio Management under Uncertainty

Although the consideration of foreign investments may have a positive impact on the overall market risk of the portfolio through diversi cation, it also adds a new source of uncertainty due to changes in the value of the currency. We investigate portfolio optimization models that account separately for the local asset returns and the currency returns, providing the investor with a full investment strategy. We tackle the uncertainty inherent to the estimation of the parameters with the aid of robust optimization techniques. We show how, by using appropriate assumptions regarding the formulation of the uncertainty sets, the original non-linear and non-convex models may be reformulated as second order cone or as semide nite programs. Additionally to the guarantees provided by robust optimization, we consider the use of hedging instruments such as forward contracts and options. The proposed hedging strategies are implemented from a portfolio perspective, and therefore do not depend on the individual value or behavior of any particular asset or currency. Hedging decisions are taken at the same time as investment decisions in a holistic approach to portfolio management. While dynamic decision making has traditionally been represented as scenario trees, these may become severely intractable and di cult to compute with an increasing number of time periods. We present an alternative approach to multiperiod international portfolio optimization based on an a ne dependence between the decision variables and the past returns. We add to our formulation the minimization of the worst case value-at-risk and show the close relationship with robust optimization. The proposed theoretical framework is supported by various numerical experiments with simulated and historical market data demonstrating its potential bene ts

Matching Efficiency and Labour Market Reform in Italy. A Macroeconometric Assessment

A matching theory approach is utilised to assess the impact on the Italian labour market of the 1997 legge Treu, which considerably eased the regulation of temporary work and favoured its growth in Italy. We re-parameterise the matching function as a Beveridge Curve and estimate it as a production frontier. We find huge differences in matching efficiency between the South and the rest of the country. The legge Treu appears to have reduced unemployment in the more developed regions of the country but did not greatly affect the matching efficiency of the regional labour markets.temporary contracts; matching efficiency; regional disparities

Labour-Market Reforms and the Beveridge Curve. Some Macro Evidence for Italy

A matching theory approach is utilised to assess the impact on the Italian labour market of the 1997 legge Treu, which considerably eased the regulation of temporary work and favoured its growth in Italy. We re-parameterise the matching function as a Beveridge Curve and estimate it as a production frontier, finding huge differences in matching efficiency between the South and the rest of the country. The legge Treu appears to have improved matching efficiency in the North of the country, particularly for skilled workers, but also to have strengthened competition among skilled and unskilled workers, especially in the South.temporary contracts, matching efficiency, regional disparities

Do Market Regulation and Financial Imperfections Affect Firm Size? New Empirical Evidence

This paper investigates the importance that market regulation and financial imperfections have in firm size. We analyse institutions affecting labour market as Employment Protection Laws (EPL) and Product Market Regulation (PMR). Moreover, we study the effects of these institutions on firm growth. We use data from 29 industrial sectors across 15 developed countries. We find that market regulations related to financial imperfections help to explain differences in firm structure across countries.Financial development, labour market institutions, firm structure

Spanish Unemployment Persistence and the Ladder Effect

This paper aims to examine unemployment persistence in Spain by the soûcalled 'ladder' effect. This arises when highly-skilled workers who do not find a job matching their skills accept jobs which previously were occupied by less qualified staff. We develop a dynamic general equilibrium model, in which two types of workers ù characterised by their level of formal education ù coexist on the labour market. Highly educated workers are then assumed to compete with lowûskilled workers, generating a ladder eñect. The model is then calibrated on the Spanish economy. Our results replicate the observed decline in the ratio of high to lowûskilled vacancies, and explains how firms substitute high for lowûskilled employment. The results also suggest that the Spanish ladder effect may reflect increases in the training costs as a result of a biased-shock against low-skilled workers.Matching models, low-skilled unemployment, mismatch

Divergence in Labor Market Institutions and International Business Cycles

This paper investigates the sources of business cycle comovement within the New Open Economy Macroeconomy framework. It sheds new light on the business cycle comovement issue by examining the role of cross-country divergence in labor market institutions. We first document stylized facts supporting that heterogeneous labor market institutions are associated with lower cross-country GDP correlations among OECD countries. We then investigate this fact within a two-country dynamic general equilibrium model with frictions on the good and labor markets. On the good-market side, we model monopolistic competition and nominal price rigidity. Labor market frictions are introduced through a matching function à la Mortensen and Pissarides (1999). Our conclusions disclose that heterogenous labor market institutions amplify the crosscountry GDP differential in response to aggregate shocks. In quantitative terms, they contribute to reduce cross-country output correlation, when the model is subject to real and/or monetary shocks. Our overall results show that taking into account labor market heterogeneity improves our understanding of the quantity puzzle.International business cycle, Search, Labor market institutions, Wage bargaining

Spanish Unemployment Persistence and the Ladder Effect

This paper aims to examine to what extent a "ladder" e.ect may contribute to explain changes in unemployment in Spain. The "ladder" e.ect arises when highly-skilled workers who do not find a job that matches their skills, accept jobs that were previously occupied by less qualified staff. We develop a dynamic general equilibrium model. The model is then calibrated for the Spanish economy. Our results replicate the observed decline in the ratio of high to low-skilled vacancies, and explain how firms substitute high for low-skilled employment. These results also suggest that in the Spanish case, ladder e.ect can be better explained by increases in training costs interpreted as a biased-shock against low-skilled workers.Matching models, low-skilled unemployment, mismatch

Business cycle comovement and labor market institutions: An empirical investigation

This paper examines the impact of labor market institutions (LMI) on business cycle (BC) synchronization. We first develop a two-country right-to-manage model of wage bargaining. We find that, following a symmetric demand change, cross-country differences in LMI generate divergent responses in employment and output. We then investigate the empirical relevance of this result using panel data of 20 OECD countries observed over 40 years. Our estimation strategy controls for a large set of possible factors influencing GDP correlations, which allows to confront our results with those found in previous studies. Consistently with our theoretical results, we find that similar labor markets across countries tend to favor more their synchronized cycles. In particular, disparities in tax wedges yields lower GDP co movement. Besides, interactions between labor market institutions do matter, enhancing or dampening the effect of tax wedge divergence on BC synchronization. Our overall results suggest that the impact of distortions in demand-supply labor mechanism should be investigated in international business cycle models.International business cycle, Business cycle synchronization, Labor market institutions, Panel Data Estimation

Entrepreneurship, Liquidity Constraints and Start-up Costs

We study the effects of liquidity constraints and start-up costs on the relationship between wealth and the fraction of entrepreneurs in an economy. We develop a dynamic occupational choice model that yields predictions that can be tested on cross-sectional data with exogenous variation in liquidity constraints (e.g. access to credit) and start-up costs. We use three highly comparable micro datasets (SHARE, ELSA and HRS) focusing on the population age 50+ in 9 countries. These countries have very different levels of start-up costs and potential liquidity constraints. Reduced form results support our theoretical predictions. While higher liquidity constraints yield a steeper wealth profile for the fraction of workers in entrepreneurship, startup costs flatten this relationship by depressing the marginal value of being an entrepreneur as a function of wealth. Countries with high start-up costs such as Italy, Spain and France have flatter wealth gradients.entrepreneurship, liquidity constraints, start-up costs, occupational choice, cross-country comparisons

On the Interaction between Unemployment and Inter-regional Mobility

This paper aims at examining the interaction between unemployment and inter-regional mobility in the presence of asymmetric productivity shocks. We present an intertemporal two-regions equilibrium model where unemployed workers can migrate from one region to another. The hiring process is represented by a matching function à la Pissarides. We also analyse the wage setting procedure by introducing Nash bargaining between firms and employees. We compare two extremely different scenarios. The case where there is no mobility with unemployment persistence versus the same economy where perfect mobility is assumed. This paper also studied different types of asymmetries such as changes in "unemployment benefits" and/or the cost of posting vacancies. We show the importance of these changes to explain regional unemployment disparities.Finally, we calibrate the model for Spain and we analyse the relevance of the model in explaining regional disparities and inter-regional labour force mobilityMigration, Unemployment, Nash bargaining